Coroner Believes Decomposed Body Found In House Belongs To Former Playboy Playmate

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Coroner’s officials were working Monday to positively identify a body that was so badly decomposed that authorities, at first, did not know if they were dealing with a male or a female.

The body is believed to be Yvette Vickers, 82, an early Playboy playmate and actress.

The body was found Friday on an upstairs bedroom floor in a home in the 10000 block of Westwanda Drive in Benedict Canyon, according to Assistant Coroner Chief Ed Winter.

The woman who found the body told the Los Angeles Times said the remains were unrecognizable, and even she could not tell if it was her 82-year-old neighbor.

Susan Savage said she went to check on the home because she saw old letters and cobwebs in Vickers’ mailbox.

“The letters seemed untouched and were starting to yellow,” she told The Times. “I just had a bad feeling.”

In addition to her modeling work in Playboy, Vickers appeared in B- movies such as “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman” and “Attack of the Giant Leeches.”

Police told The Times there did not appear to be any signs of foul play.

Although it’s sad she remained undiscovered for so long, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about her life based on that. She may have preferred her privacy and lived a healthy, happy life and then passed away; we all will sooner or later.